License fees for dogs and cats in East Baton Rouge Parish will be a few dollars more expensive, following a vote by the Metro Council on Wednesday.

The council voted, with one objection from council member Trae Welch, to raise the fees, despite objections from a veterinary group who said vets shouldn't be made responsible for collecting the money.

Annual license fees will now be $10 for a spayed or neutered dog or cat, up from $7. Owners of a dog or cat that is not fixed now have to pay $20, up from $14.

Council member Buddy Amoroso -- who, along with multiple council colleagues on Wednesday, noted that he is a proud dog owner -- said that responsible pet owners are essentially paying to cover the costs of those who are irresponsible.

"I've really struggled over this, because myself and other pet owners who do the right thing, they get their tags every time, and now we're basically having to subsidize the people who do not do the right thing," he said.

He ultimately voted for the proposal.

About a quarter of the proceeds from the fee increase will go toward low-cost spay and neuter programs for low-income families, while the rest of the money will be used for medical costs and public outreach. The fee increase is expected to generate an additional $187,000 for Companion Animal Alliance, the organization that operates the city-parish's shelter, CAA Executive Director Beth Brewster previously told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

A representative of local veterinarians, however, said that veterinarians don't want to be the ones responsible for collecting and submitting the fees when pet owners come in for a rabies shot. Though they collect fees currently, the increases can frustrate clients who don't realize the fees are mandated by the city-parish, said Wendy Day, president of the Baton Rouge Area Veterinary Medical Association.

"The clients don't understand," she said. "They think it's the veterinarians that are raising their fees."

City-parish Finance Director Marsha Hanlon, however, said collecting the fees are similar to any business having to collect sales tax. Having pet owners pay for and receive a license at their vet checkups is also much more cost-effective than going out and collecting the fees at another time, and will lead to a higher percentage of pet owners actually paying and getting their pets properly licensed, she said.

Veterinarians also get to keep 8 percent of the fees to help compensate them for the task.